Kate Smith statue covered up in Philadelphia as late 'God Bless America' singer faces new scrutiny
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The NHL's Philadelphia Flyers on Friday joined baseball's New York Yankees in halting the playing of Kate Smith's rendition of "God Bless America" at home games because of lyrics in other songs the late singer recorded.
The Flyers also covered up a statue of Smith that has stood at Philadephia's sports complex since 1987.
“We have recently become aware that several songs performed by Kate Smith contain offensive lyrics that do not reflect our values as an organization,” the Flyers said in a statement. "As we continue to look into this serious matter, we are removing Kate Smith’s recording of 'God Bless America’ from our library and covering up the statue that stands outside of our arena.”
KATE SMITH'S 'GOD BLESS AMERICA' OUT AT YANKEE STADIUM OVER RACIST SONGS
Smith, who died in 1986 at age 79, was long considered an American icon, in large part because of her association with "God Bless America," the 1918 Irving Berlin song that she recorded in 1939.
"At the height of her career, during World War II, she repeatedly was named one of the three or four most popular women in America," according to the New York Times obituary for Smith . "No single show-business figure even approached her as a seller of War Bonds during World War II. In one 18-hour stint on the CBS radio network, Miss Smith sold $107 million worth of war bonds, which were issued by the United States Government to finance the war effort. Her total for a series of marathon broadcasts was over $600 million."
Smith received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Ronald Reagan in 1982 .
But recently the Yankees became aware that Smith sang a 1931 song, “That’s Why Darkies Were Born,” which opened: “Someone had to pick the cotton, Someone had to pick the corn, Someone had to slave and be able to sing, That’s why darkies were born.”
The song was considered a satire of racism in its time, with civil rights activist Paul Robeson also having recorded a version.
Smith also recorded a song called "Pickaninny Heaven," and her likeness appeared in an ad for baking powder that featured a "mammy" character.
The Flyers had played Smith’s version of “God Bless America” before must-win games since 1969, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, and its record in those games was 101-31-5. She performed her rendition in person before the team captured its Stanley Cup in 1974.
The Yankees played Smith’s “God Bless America” before the seventh-inning stretch for 18 years. The team pulled song after a fan informed them about the lyrics, the New York Times reported.
The removal of Smith’s version comes as scrutiny of American icons has gotten more attention. In recent years, some have called for John Wayne Airport in Southern California to be renamed after a social media uproar over a 1971 Playboy interview . In the interview, Wayne made remarks against Native Americans and African- Americans many deemed as racist.
But Jack Fowler, a vice president of the National Review, argued Friday that the Yankees and Flyers were going too far in banishing Smith.
"(W)hen she wasn't raising dough to crush fascism, Smith was visiting the soldiers," Fowler wrote, quoting from the Times obituary that Smith had "traveled nearly 520,000 miles to entertain American troops."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Will the NY Yankees, Philadelphia Flyers, and others ever condemn rap "music" that blatantly demeans people, especially women, of color?
I'd say "don't hold your breath" but then I'd be surprised if any of those artists found themselves in the position of singing to promote the USA in the first place.
Promoting the USA and God was her real offense as far as the secular progressives are concerned.
They don't think that far into it.
It's simply a shiny object they can chase around.
It’s just ridiculous that we now try to shame people of the past for not living up to today’s standards. No one need defend any wrong any person does or did but we are going to bury our history if we retroactively punish the memory of dead people because they weren't perfect like we are now.
What concerns me the most is that a vocal minority of people are trying to erase portions of history and literature that they feel are "offensive" instead of teaching our younger generations about those subjects within context of the time in which they happened. If people don't learn from others' mistakes, they will certainly repeat those mistakes.
When you "Get-rid" of things, you don't have to teach about it.
I think they call that "The Lazy way out" ! Seems to be the "IN" thing these days.....of Bernie-ites that is !
Even the Democrat Presidential candidates have taken that route. They can't come up with their own shit, so they mimic someone else's SHIT, as if it was their own !
Not that one of you rightie's care a smigion for facts and truth
Thank you for your comment and for resurrecting my seed that is at least 2 weeks old, but I don't understand why you posted a sweeping generalization comment that includes 9 off-topic links.
BTW ... I did not flag comment 1.2.3 . Someone flagged it after I locked the seed last night.
Music, if we like it or not, is protected as a form of art. Also protected is our right to protest. So this is a win win or a lose lose, depending on how you look at it.
Correct. However, can you explain why people are protesting Kate Smith but not Paul Robeson? They both recorded the anti-slavery song "That's Why Darkies Were Born" in 1931. Please see my comment 14.1 for their 1931 recordings that were posted on YouTube in 2014.
Probably because when a black person sings "someone had to pick the cotton" and when a white person sings it, there are different impressions given.
My public school taught us Dixie plus many songs thought insensitive today. That was in the 1960's...
mine too. The local radio station was "1360 in the Land of Dixie"
Same here, JBB. My music teachers taught us many Stephen Foster songs and Negro spirituals, because they describe an important part of the musical history of our country.
MLK, Jr. and many others wouldn't be happy that in 2019 you're still basing someone's character/worth on the color of her or his skin.
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Wasn't Robeson a commie sympathizer?
Why would a different impression be given?
Would you consider "Porgy and Bess" racist?
John seems to have lost interest in this seed, so I'll answer you ...
Yes, he was.
John's comment 1.3.2 lead us to believe that Kate Smith was a racist because she was a white person singing the anti-slavery song "That's Why Darkies Were Born" , and Paul Robeson singing the same song couldn't be a racist because he was black.
"Porgy and Bess" is a phenomenal American operatic feat in so many ways. George and Ira Gershwin captured the spirit of our pre-Civil Rights era in collaboration with poet DuBose Heyward.
Is "Porgy and Bess" racist? Only to a racist.
What does that have to do with Smith being a racist?
By reading the seeded article and other links, you'll learn the answer.
Typical leftist character smear without any evidence. There is no evidence put forward by you or anyone else that Kate Smith was a racist.
but that won’t stop the anti American left from continuing to spew their hate of this country
i can remember a different time when ALL Americans of every race considered it to officially be the 4th of July when Kate Smith sang God Bless America
How, exactly, could "Dixie" be considered racist and insensitive?
So ONE fan changed 18 years of tradition? Hmmm.
"But Jack Fowler, a vice president of the National Review, argued Friday that the Yankees and Flyers were going too far in banishing Smith."
I AGREE !
The song was considered a satire of racism in its time, with civil rights activist Paul Robeson also having recorded a version.
I wonder when Rutgers will stop their Robeson idolization and start condemning communist-sympathizer Robeson for singing the same 1931 song that Kate Smith sang?
Maybe Washington, DC will cover up Robeson's statue?
The Yankees had used her 1939 recording of the Irving Berlin classic since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They used an organ version at games on Wednesday and Thursday, according to CBS News.
Song still played - so no problem... link in 4.1.3
Yah, OK, sure ... it's the same only in fantasy land.
The song was played, correct? So you are only upset to be upset. Now I get your reason for seeding - just stirring the pot. THE SONG WAS PLAYED.
It's still silly censorship.
I do agree with you. It is silly, however when people come out & say that it is done because the "left" wants god to go away then it is perfectly sound to point out the song was played at Yankee stadium. Just not the Kate Smith version & frankly I prefer organ music at the baseball stadiums - it seems traditional.
Liberals insanity never ceases to amaze me.
Pretty soon Abe Lincoln will be declared a public enemy.
That's why Democrats assassinated him in 1865.
Where Booth was a democratic sympathizer, he was not a democrat. It was a republican who shot Garfield. Bad shit has happened from both sides.
Don't try to whitewash it. He volunteered to be a uniformed member of the Confederate Army's Richmond Grays militia. Look it up ... National Geographic.
Garfield is off topic, so don't go there.
Now, get back on topic ---> Kate Smith.
There is already a movement to remove Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and other founding fathers because they were slave holders
In today's weakened society that consists of people who constantly need something to be offended by, the topic of slavery must be erased. Instead of teaching our youth about its atrocities and how we overcame those struggles, they want to erase it from history books, literature, artwork, music, etc. That's why we have today's sudden controversies over our founding fathers and Kate Smith.
Creating an ignorant society will lead to a repeat in the future.
Prove it.
Prove what? That a minority of people constantly find things "offensive"? That history is being erased in the USA?
I won't do the research for you. All you have to do is use your well-honed Internet skills to learn about what's happened - removing statues, altering history textbooks, violence on college campuses, renaming buildings, rewriting Mark Twain's novels, censoring school music programs, hiding paintings. Is that the "freedom" you want? I don't.
I asked you a simple question. You said the topic of slavery must be erased from schools, due to political correctness. Prove it.
Your reply does not prove it at all.
Now, some of the confederate states, such as Texas, have sought to remove the harsh reality slavery from schoolbooks. Was that what you are referring to?
I NEVER said that. Stop rewriting my comments to suit whatever you THINK they meant.
Yeah, you said it. I'm not the person to try and prove wrong. I am extremely observant.
try getting your facts straight , if that is possible
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That block quote does not describe MY feelings. I described my observations about today's weakened society that needs to be offended by something, John.
Move along. I am not the topic.
I see, you are not responsible for what you actually say, you' re responsible for what you "feel". Whatever. Maybe you will learn a lesson.
So was Hamilton.
Yeah, it is getting rather silly out there.
luther - I apologize. I flagged your comment off topic by mistake. Please ask Perrie to reinstate it!
No apology needed:)
We must be the holiest, most sanctimonious generation in human history the way we judge past generations. God must like us best.
Progress means learning from our mistakes. There is no evidence any God exists so who the fuck cares what an imaginary invisible wizard likes. Instead of giving so much undeserved respect to a fucking imaginary being, why not try to treat your fellow humans who happen to be of a different skin color with at least a minimum of concern and equality? Why not be disgusted instead of coming to the defense of those who have historically debased, demeaned and disrespected other humans simply based on their race? Or is that just too hard for some? Are some persons self worth or self respect so small that they feel the need to shit on others simply based on some indoctrinated racial bias?
I would have to say that yes, some people's self-worth is that small that they willingly shit on others in an attempt to elevate themselves. We see it daily around many things. You can easily change from race to sex, religious belief, political party, gender, education, age, marital status, almost anything that identifies us as people.
This is a lesson that I believe we so desperately need to learn but unfortunately will be ignored by most as it's not convenient in this disposable age.
I have very serious doubts that those who complain loudest about pervasive racism are free from being the worst practitioners of it.
You tell me.
I think the Puritans would roll their eyes at the Progessives at this point.
Why would you put a statue of Kate Smith in front of a hockey arena?
The Flyers viewed her as their good luck charm ... until they decided to hate her in 2019.
Just shows that good luck can turn on you.
All this because people need something to be offended by.
Kate Smith's hey day was 80 years ago. She is much more contemporaneous to Babe Ruth than today's Yankee players and fans.
Just play a more recent recording of "God Bless America" and let the dead bury the dead.
Trying to demean her importance, John? Her popularity lasted from the 1930s into the 1970s.
I SAID that Kate Smith's "hey day" was 80 years ago.
Her list of hit records spans the time from 1927 to 1948. She never had a hit single after 1948.
Of course I stand by what I SAID.
Yes, she continued in show business into the 1960's, but she was not a big star by any stretch.
Her hey day was the 30's and 40's.
I also notice she was nicknamed "the songbird of the south" which probably explains a few of her song choices. I don't think the sports teams should be forced or co-erced into not playing Smith recordings anymore, but they might as well do it on their own. Let the dead bury the dead.
There is more to Kate Smith's decades of popularity than her "hit records".
Warning: You're welcome to comment on my seeds, but leave your hostile tone at the door before you comment again.
I wasnt hostile to you, actually it was the other way around. I made a factual statement.
What hostile tone?
Maybe so John but the song and her edition of it is ageless and are as relavent today as then. I know things that mention Giving anyway but negatively and praises America offends your delicate, progressive "sensiblities" but get over it.
Does that sentence actually mean something?
It is no wonder the lefties are against Kate Smith. She sang a song that while it was considered anti racist at the time, she sang a song that praised America and God at the same time. Actions that progressives can absolutely not tolerate in any way shape or form.
What I find hypocritical is that The Flyers and Yankees loved Kate Smith for decades but now hate her in 2019 when they suddenly learned that in 1931 she sang a satirical, anti-slavery song .
Why do Princeton and Rutgers idolize and memorialize communist Paul Robeson, who sang the same song in 1931?
Both renditions of the song have been available on YouTube since 2014. Is Kate Smith being demonized because she was white?
Here are both versions, posted in 2014. Expand "Show More" for the lyrics ...
Kate Smith:
Paul Robeson:
“Someone had to pick the cotton,
Someone had to pick the corn,
Someone had to slave and be able to sing,
That’s why darkies were born;
Someone had to laugh at trouble,
Though he was tired and worn,
Had to be contented with any old thing,
That’s why darkies were born;
Sing, sing, sing when you’re weary and
Sing when you’re blue,
Sing, sing, that’s what you taught
All the white folks to do;
Someone had to fight the Devil,
Shout about Gabriel’s Horn,
Someone had to stoke the train
That would bring God’s children to green pastures,
That’s why darkies were born.”
Thanks for posting the obvious, because in my comment 14.1 I made the following very clear:
"Old Man River" from "Porgy and Bess" essentially said the same thing.
Was Gershwin racist?
There is NO widespread racism in the USA.
Ford vehicles should no longer be put on the market using the Ford name, because Henry Ford was KNOWN to be a virulent anti-Semite. His name should not be perpetuated. If it is continued to be used, it would also be okay to call one of the Ford car models the "Hitler".
But recently the Yankees became aware that Smith sang a 1931 song, “That’s Why Darkies Were Born,” which opened: “Someone had to pick the cotton, Someone had to pick the corn, Someone had to slave and be able to sing, That’s why darkies were born.”
The song was considered a satire of racism in its time, with civil rights activist Paul Robeson also having recorded a version.
What they are doing to her is the right thing to do...or ...it isn't.
But they should be consistent. If they chose to demonize her for singing this song, they should do the same to Paul Robeson.
Or if not...well again, they should do the same to Robeson.
To apply the left's logic, that would be racist.
The Yankees were racist.
I'm surprised they haven't banned from existence and monument park in Yankee stadium burned to the ground.